Rae Poh was once designated a ‘‘green zone’’ village, one of more than 1,600 such islands of peace amid the violence that has torn Thailand’s southern tip since a Muslim insurgency erupted four years ago. Soldiers constantly patrol the one-lane road leading into this Muslim village. “In spite of the fact that the BRN leadership has permitted members of its political wing to engage in dialogue with the Thai government, it would be a mistake to assume that all forms of violence on the ground would come to an end,” he said.RAE POH, Thailand - The tea shop is abandoned. They appeared to have made headway in January, when officials from Thailand held their first formal meeting in recent years with Muslim separatists from southern Thailand belonging to the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, or BRN, the major rebel group operating in the area.ĭespite two meetings so far, however, the government and the BRN seem not to have progressed much beyond agreement on a framework and terms of reference to guide their talks.ĭon Pathan, a security analyst who closely follows the conflict in the south, speculated that Tuesday’s attack was carried out by BRN insurgents. The Thai government has been holding on-again, off-again talks with insurgents brokered by neighboring Malaysia. In November, coordinated attacks in Yala killed 15 security personnel, mostly lightly armed village defense volunteers, in the highest single-day death toll on the government side since the insurgency began. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Luring security personnel and first responders with an initial blast and then detonating a second device is a common insurgent tactic. Pramote said guards at the center spotted the pickup truck and told everyone who had run outside after the first blast not to come close to the vehicle. Then the bomb in the pickup truck exploded. The explosion of the device on the road drew the attention of those in the meeting room, causing participants to come out to see what had happened. Naravee Binwae-arong of the Yala police station. Surveillance video showed the bomber parking a pickup truck in front of the center and then placing another explosive device in the middle of the road before fleeing on a waiting motorcycle, said police Col. Pramote Prom-in, a spokesman for the center. Yala Hospital reported 20 people were hurt in the attack.
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